On the job with a deputy

Cheyenne County Sheriff's deputies face the unknown everyday.

At least Sergeant Adam Frerichs has a partner along for the ride. Frerichs, a veteran of 13 years on the force, works with a German Shepherd named Colonel as the county's K-9 unit.

Colonel is trained to locate hidden illegal narcotics. But their job also involves more routine patrols. Within minutes after turning onto Highway 385 on Wednesday morning, a gray sedan zips by at 79 miles per hour in a 65 zone. It is the first of six traffic stops.

Calmly Deputy Frerichs calls in the license plate and his location. Approaching the driver's side window he enters into the well-known cadence: "Can I see your drivers license, proof of insurance and registration please?"

The driver was returning to Denver at the end of a cross country sightseeing trip with his daughter. He offers an explanation and accepts the ticket.

Five minutes after this incident is resolved, Frerichs clocks a pickup at 80. After a moment in pursuit, however, the deputy notices a 10 mile per hour discrepance between his initial reading and the current speed. His pulls the driver to the side and hands him a warning.

Driving to the county line, Frerichs explains that using Colonel is a last resort. He enters the picture only when illegal narcotics are suspected, probable cause exists and permission to search has been attempted. After all his years on the job, Frerichs can recognize certain tip offs.

“The defense lawyers will try to discredit Colonel, saying that I don't train enough with him or that he was smelling the food wrappers on the floor—anything to show that he is not capable of doing his job,” the deputy said. “But he is a highly trained officer in the county Sheriff's office."

So far, Wednesday is turning out to be routine. Frerichs stops two more vehicles, one at 72 in a 65, the other tops 64 in a 55 zone.

“How much they are over the posted speed plays into what action is taken,” he explained. "My instructor said to be polite and courteous, but always be on the ready to take out everyone in the car. We in law enforcement try not to do anything the same way every time, so we try not to create habits that someone could follow."

At some point each day, Frerichs takes some time to train with Colonel, keeping his partner in top condition. Colonel is an aggressive canine. If he catches the scent of an illegal drug, he will scratch, bite, bark, dig and tear at the spot. But this time for Colonel is like play. He is allowed to stretch his legs after riding with all day. Frerichs hides material, using gloves to place the test substances. When let out, Colonel needs very few hand gestures before he gets to work and locates the suspicious objects.

Pulling out the kong—a rubber toy rewarding Colonel's effort—Frerich's allows the dog to celebrate his find, running around showing his partner. Colonel has also been trained to sniff out gold.

After training, there is time for one more patrol on I-80. He soon sidelines a car traveling east at 84 miles per hour.

"One of the challenges is locating the vehicle that is speeding because of all the traffic," Frerichs said.

The stop takes longer than usual, but there is no trouble. The driver happens to be in his girlfriend's car and cannot locate proof of insurance.

He eventually calls the woman, though claims he wants the information 'just in case.' He does not admit to being pulled over, at least on the phone.

Thus another unpredicable day on the job winds down—this one without serious incident. Frerichs and Colonel spend the last of their shift, one of them filling out paperwork.